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Title : Reflections At 70
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Reflections At 70

By Henry Hazlitt

When I facial expression dorsum on my life, what strikes me is that I receive got been on the whole a really lucky homo — and, higher upward all, lucky inwards my friends.

My luck began, perhaps, inwards the yr inwards which I was born, 1894. I receive got the payoff over most of you lot inwards knowing what it was similar to live inwards the 19th century. Of course, I only had nigh half dozen years of it, as well as I confess I may non fifty-fifty receive got been aware that it was the 19th century.

But, speaking to a greater extent than seriously, my starting fourth dimension 20 years were spent earlier the outbreak of World War I inwards 1914. Looking dorsum at it, it seems right away an idyllic world. There had been no major international wars for a century. There were no revolutions every calendar week as well as riots every day. People could fifty-fifty trust their currency. There was no nuclear bomb hanging over us. There was no Communist authorities as well as non fifty-fifty an of import organized Communist movement. Even socialism was but a affair of academic discussion.

It was an historic menstruum of innocence. How innocent it was, I good remember. At that fourth dimension none of us knew, or needed to care, what was happening inwards such far-off places equally China, or Vietnam, or the Congo. In fact, to tell the truth, nosotros didn't pay much attending to anything that was going on exterior of our ain borders.

I call back those astounding days when World War I broke out. I was working at The Wall Street Journal. We used to acquire downwards to the labor at nigh 8:00 inwards the morning time as well as remain until nigh 4:00 inwards the afternoon. I call back the shocking twenty-four sixty minutes menstruum when the New York Stock Exchange failed to opened upward its doors. It was to remain unopen for
many months afterward. I call back a twenty-four sixty minutes menstruum or ii later, when England declared state of war on Germany. The excitement of that day, as well as the amount of function as well as confusion it imposed on myself, equally a immature swain who was purpose stenographer as well as purpose reporter, proved exhausting. I didn't acquire away until nigh 7:30 P.M. — a twenty-four sixty minutes menstruum of 12 exhausting hours. As I was walking dorsum to the trolley inwards the darkening streets — The Wall Street Journal was thence at 44 Broad Street — the newsboys were all out on the streets shouting their extras. I tin give the sack notwithstanding hear the voices inwards my ears. They were shouting, "Extra! Extra! Giants win!" I do non exaggerate or invent. That was it. That was how the intelligence of World War I came to the keen urban total of New York.

Beginnings

Perhaps you lot wonder how I got on The Wall Street Journal. Like everything else inwards my life, it seems to receive got been the final result of a serial of accidents.

In the lastly yr of high school, I developed what I suppose mightiness live called intellectual awareness. I got interested inwards philosophy as well as psychology. My keen gods were Herbert Spencer as well as William James. I was going to travel to Harvard, as well as major inwards psychology, as well as travel a professor of psychology, writing a piffling philosophy on the side, similar William James. But none of this was to be, because of something called a shortage of funds. So I had to compromise past times going to the College of the City of New York, where the tuition was free. But fifty-fifty after a few months in that location I had to human face upward the fact that I had to quit college as well as travel to function to back upward my woman raise equally good equally myself.

However, I hadn't given upward the thought of beingness a writer. I thought the best way to live that as well as notwithstanding earn a living was to acquire on a newspaper. Well, for some argue or other, none of the major New York newspapers seemed to live really eager for my services, as well as the only house I could notice an opening was on The Wall Street Journal. So I grabbed it.

The Wall Street Journal at that fourth dimension (if I seem right away to speak inwards somewhat derogatory damage of it) was comparatively obscure, as well as non the keen national paper that it is today, nether the editorship of Vermont Royster. I was supposed to know something nigh occupation organization as well as finance. I knew null nigh occupation organization or finance — and, moreover, I hadn't the slightest ambition to learn. My caput was inwards the clouds, dreaming of philosophy. Every even out — inwards all the fourth dimension I could spare, anyway, from dancing as well as entering trip the calorie-free fantastic contests — I was secretly writing a mass amongst the ambitious championship of Thinking equally a Science.

Yes, the thing was published — as well as it sold, too. In fact, it outsold anything I receive got since written except Economics inwards One Lesson and Will Dollars Save the World? And that reminds me of a wonderful slice of advice that was given past times the celebrated editor Arthur Brisbane to a friend of mine who was inwards his starting fourth dimension yr inwards the paper game, when he asked the keen homo for some words of wisdom.

"Young man," said Arthur Brisbane, "remember 1 thing. Never lose your superficiality."

It was really wise advice, as well as every fourth dimension I receive got forgotten it I receive got got into trouble.

In monastic tell to concur my job, I finally did acquire around to reading books on occupation organization as well as finance, as well as I began to read the criterion economical textbooks of the period. Then I made the amazing regain that economic science required exactly equally much difficult thought, subtle thought, precise thought equally the most abstruse problems of philosophy or psychology or physical science. H5N1 piece later on I stumbled upon a wonderful mass inwards the populace library. (As I say, when I facial expression dorsum everything of import that has happened to me seems to receive got been accidental.) I thought it was my private discovery, as well as it practically was at that time. The mass was titled The Common Sense of Political Economy by Philip H. Wicksteed. For the starting fourth dimension time, the footing of economic science actually opened upward to me, as well as I caught my starting fourth dimension glimpse of the fact — which Ludwig von Mises was later on to brand much to a greater extent than explicit — that the footing of economic science is almost coextensive amongst the whole footing of human activeness as well as of human decision.

The Influence of Friends

I started to say how lucky I've been inwards my friends: but I receive got fourth dimension to speak of only 3 or 4 of them.

The starting fourth dimension 1 I desire to speak nigh is Benjamin M. Anderson, who died inwards 1949. He was starting fourth dimension the economist of the Bank of Commerce as well as later on of the Chase National Bank. I was, at that time, inwards the early on 1920s, fiscal editor of the New York Evening Mail. I used to travel to consider him nigh 1 time a calendar week to speak nigh economical developments. I read his magnificent book, The Value of Money, which is 1 of the classics of American economical writing as well as footing monetary literature. Through his incisive mind, inwards my discussions amongst him, my thought was enormously stimulated.

But hither comes some other set of accidents. I got sort of pushed into the labor equally the mass editor of the New York Sun. Five years later on I became literary editor of The Nation, and thence I spent the x years from 1925 to 1934 writing on full general literature.

In those x years, amid others whom I met was the British philosopher Bertrand Russell. I starting fourth dimension admired him through his books, as well as later on got to know him personally. In fact, in that location was a fourth dimension when he as well as his thence publisher, W. W. Norton, suggested that I do a biography of him. I spent a practiced bargain of fourth dimension amongst him, inwards New York as well as London, inwards the menstruum of 1928–1929, until 1 day, piece reminiscing for my benefit, he of a abrupt said, "You know, I receive got had a really interesting life; I think I'd similar to do my ain autobiography." And he did — 25 years later!

I come upward right away to H.L. Mencken. I had admired as well as almost idolized Mencken equally a author long earlier I got to encounter him, nigh 1930 or so. Three years later on he astonished me past times making the big error of his life: he asked me to succeed him equally editor of The American Mercury, which for a piece I did. In 1934 I got dorsum into the economical patch again. I went from my curt editorship of The American Mercury to The New York Times, for which I wrote most of the fiscal as well as economical editorials for the adjacent twelve years.

I got to know, then, starting fourth dimension through his books as well as thence past times the keen award of coming together him personally, Ludwig von Mises. His thought has had to a greater extent than influence on me than the thought of whatsoever other unmarried somebody inwards the lastly 25 years.

When I recall some of these keen friends, when I facial expression over this wonderful gathering as well as consider friends who receive got come upward from abroad peculiarly for this occasion, when I see, hither as well as in that location as well as yonder, friends of national as well as international fame, when, to call only those on this dais here, I consider Ludwig von Mises, William Buckley, Leonard Read, Milton Friedman, Karl Brandt, Lawrence Fertig, as well as Kenneth Wells, I realize how incredibly fortunate I receive got been inwards my friends.

Progress or Retrogression?

I receive got been, indeed, a really lucky man. But whether our generation, equally such, is lucky, is some other question. We live inwards an extraordinary age, an astonishing historic menstruum past times whatsoever standard. So far equally whatsoever of us knows, it may fifty-fifty live the lastly historic menstruum of mankind! In whatsoever case, it's really difficult to say whether this is an historic menstruum of unparalleled progress, or unparalleled retrogression, disintegration, as well as decadence. It seems to depend on where you lot look.

Let us facial expression at the arts, for example. Take painting. There are in all likelihood to a greater extent than people ikon today than always earlier inwards the history of mankind. There is a to a greater extent than widespread spectator involvement inwards painting; in that location is to a greater extent than sophisticated cognition nigh it. And yet nosotros notice a consummate anarchy of standards inwards painting. We notice revolt for revolt's sake, a restless struggle for "originality" that has led to mere freakishness, to ugliness as well as to a pretentious unintelligibility that inwards most cases covers incompetence as well as an essential emptiness.

Much the same thing mightiness live said nigh music as well as other arts. But each of these fields is complicated. If nosotros receive got the patch of architecture as well as engineering, for example, nosotros are appalled past times the ugly as well as freakish buildings that are beingness seat up. But, on the other hand, exactly lastly calendar week nosotros witnessed the completion as well as opening of the magnificent Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

When nosotros come upward to the realm of morality nosotros notice an appalling disintegration of moral values as well as moral standards. But I've already written a 400-page mass on that — The Foundations of Morality — as well as won't travel into it farther here.

Perhaps the darkest pages inwards the history of our era volition live inwards politics. We notice either degenerate republic as well as demagogy or dictatorship. We notice a constant spread of lawlessness, a constant resort to mob action, a cancerous increment inwards the ability of the state, a turning toward to a greater extent than as well as to a greater extent than socialism as well as regimentation, as well as constant threats to as well as restrictions of liberty.

Over everything hangs the shadow of the nuclear bomb. Nobody knows what the outcome of that volition be, or whether the occupation is fifty-fifty soluble.

But when nosotros facial expression at the footing of science, the footing of technological progress as well as production, the creation of the necessaries as well as amenities of life, the achievements of today overstep anything that mankind has always known or dreamed of inwards the past. We cannot dismiss this equally a but textile progress. Even "mere textile progress" way an immense gain inwards human, cultural as well as spiritual values. Look what it has meant inwards human longevity alone! H5N1 babe man child born inwards ancient Rome had a life expectancy of 22 years. Born inwards 1900, he had a life expectancy of 47 years. Born today he has a life expectancy of lxx years. I don't think whatsoever of us tin give the sack afford to live ungrateful to the acquaint age. If it hadn't been for the enormous progress that began inwards the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, I doubtfulness whether most of us inwards this room would always receive got been born. And, if I had been 1 of those lucky plenty to live born, I doubtfulness that I would today live celebrating my 70th birthday, inwards practiced wellness and, equally I similar to think, non yet senile.

Great Science, Great Scientists

Our acquaint textile progress is the result, moreover, of keen triumphs of the human mind, of keen triumphs inwards theoretical sciences, of unprecedented precision, profundity, as well as boldness of thinking.

This is an historic menstruum non only of keen science; it is an historic menstruum of keen scientists. I receive got heard it said that nine-tenths of all the scientists who always lived are living today. I don't know whether that's truthful or not, but it may really good be. I know that inwards the patch I know best as well as which many of you lot know best, the patch of economics, it could live pretty safely said that of all the economists who always lived, practiced or bad, nine-tenths of them are live today.

But this brings us to our problem. Those of us who house a high value on human liberty, as well as who are professionally engaged inwards the social sciences — inwards economics, inwards politics, inwards jurisprudence — notice ourselves inwards a minority (and it sometimes seems a hopeless minority) inwards ideology. There is a keen style inwards the United States of America today for "liberalism." Every American leftist calls himself a liberal! The irony of the province of affairs is that we, nosotros inwards this room, are the truthful liberals, inwards the etymological as well as only worthy feel of that noble word. We are the truthful adherents of liberty. Both words — liberal as well as liberty — come upward from the same root. We are the ones who believe inwards express government, inwards the maximization of liberty for the private as well as the minimization of coercion to the lowest indicate compatible amongst police as well as order. It is because nosotros are truthful liberals that nosotros believe inwards gratuitous trade, gratuitous markets, gratuitous enterprise, private belongings inwards the way of production; inwards brief, that nosotros are for capitalism as well as against socialism. Yet this is the philosophy, the truthful philosophy of progress, that is right away called non only conservatism, but reaction, the radical Right, extremism, Birchism, as well as only Bill Buckley hither knows how many other terrible things it's called.

Now this is no petty or narrow number that ties us inwards this room together. For on the outcome of the struggle inwards which nosotros are engaged depends the whole futurity of civilization. Our friend, Friedrich Hayek, inwards his keen book, The Road to Serfdom, which was published 20 years ago, pointed out that it was non but the views of Cobden as well as Bright that were beingness abandoned, or fifty-fifty of Hume as well as Adam Smith, or fifty-fifty of Locke as well as Milton. It was non but the liberalism of the 18th as well as 19th centuries that was beingness abandoned; it was the basic individualism that nosotros had inherited from Christianity as well as the Greek as well as Roman world, as well as that was reflected inwards the writings of such figures equally Pericles as well as Thucydides. This is what the footing is inwards danger of abandoning today. Why? Why, if, equally nosotros similar to think, argue is on our side? Why are nosotros drifting deeper as well as deeper into socialism as well as the black nighttime of totalitarianism? Why receive got those of us who believe inwards human liberty been thence ineffective?

"We Haven't Been Good Enough"

I am going to give what is no doubtfulness a terribly oversimplified reply to that question. In the starting fourth dimension place, nosotros are almost hopelessly outnumbered. Our voices are simply drowned out inwards the full general tumult as well as clamor. But in that location is some other reason. And this is difficult to say, higher upward all to an audience of this sort, which contains some of the most vivid writers as well as minds inwards the fields of economics, of jurisprudence, of politics, non only of this historic menstruum but of whatsoever age. But the difficult thing must live said that, collectively, nosotros exactly haven't been practiced enough. We haven't convinced the majority. Is this because the bulk exactly won't remove heed to reason? I am plenty of an optimist, as well as I receive got plenty faith inwards human nature, to believe that people volition remove heed to argue if they are convinced that it isreason. Somewhere, in that location must live some missing argument, something that nosotros haven't seen clearly enough, or said clearly enough, or, perhaps, exactly non said oft enough.

A minority is inwards a really awkward position. The individuals inwards it can't afford to live exactly equally practiced equally the individuals inwards the majority. If they hope to convert the bulk they receive got to live much better; as well as the smaller the minority, the improve they receive got to be. They receive got to think better. They receive got to know more. They receive got to write better. They receive got to receive got improve controversial manners. Above all, they receive got to receive got far to a greater extent than courage. And they receive got to live infinitely patient.

When I facial expression dorsum on my ain career, I tin give the sack notice plenty of reasons for discouragement, personal discouragement. I receive got non lacked industry. I receive got written a dozen books. For most of 50 years, from the historic menstruum of 20, I receive got been writing practically every weekday: intelligence items, editorials, columns, articles. I figure I must receive got written inwards full some 10,000 editorials, articles, as well as columns; some 10,000,000 words! And inwards print! The verbal equivalent of nigh 150 average-length books!

And yet, what receive got I accomplished? I volition confess inwards the confidence of these 4 walls that I receive got sometimes repeated myself. In fact, in that location may live some people unkind plenty to say I haven't been proverb anything novel for l years! And inwards a feel they would live right. I receive got been preaching essentially the same thing. I've been preaching liberty equally against coercion; I've been preaching capitalism equally against socialism; as well as I've been preaching this doctrine inwards every shape as well as amongst whatsoever excuse. And yet the footing is enormously to a greater extent than socialized than when I began.

There is a grapheme inwards Sterne or Smollett — was it Uncle Toby? Anyway, he used to acquire angry at politics, as well as every yr constitute himself getting angrier as well as angrier as well as politics getting no better. Well, every yr I notice myself getting angrier as well as angrier as well as politics getting worse as well as worse.

But I don't know that I ought to brag nigh my ain ineffectiveness, because I'm inwards really practiced company. Eugene Lyons has been devoting his life to writing brilliantly as well as persistently against Communism. He right away fifty-fifty has the tremendous circulation of the Reader's Digest behind him. And yet, at the destination of all these years that he has been writing, Communism is stronger as well as covers enormously to a greater extent than territory than when he started. And Max Eastman has been at this longer than whatsoever of the residuum of us, as well as he's been writing a poetic as well as powerful prose as well as throwing his tremendous eloquence into the cause, as well as yet he's been exactly equally ineffective equally the residuum of us, thence far equally political consequences are concerned.

Yet, inwards spite of this, I am hopeful. After all, I'm notwithstanding inwards practiced health, I'm notwithstanding gratuitous to write, I'm notwithstanding gratuitous to write unpopular opinions, as well as I'm keeping at it. And thence are many of you. So I conduct you lot this message: Be of practiced heart: live of practiced spirit. If the battle is non yet won, it is non yet lost either.

Our Continuing Duty

I suppose most of you lot inwards this room receive got read that powerful book, George Orwell's 1984. On the surface it is a profoundly depressing novel, but I was surprised to notice myself strangely encouraged past times it. I finally decided that this encouragement arose from 1 of the lastly scenes inwards it. The hero, Winston Smith, is presented equally a rather ordinary man, an intelligent but non a vivid man, as well as certainly non a courageous one. Winston Smith has been keeping a hole-and-corner diary, inwards which he wrote: "Freedom is the liberty to say that ii as well as ii makes four." Now this diary has been discovered past times the Party. O'Brien, his inquisitor, is call for him questions. Winston Smith is strapped to a board or a wheel, inwards such a way that O'Brien, past times but moving a lever, tin give the sack inflict whatsoever amount of excruciating hurting upon him (and explains to him exactly how much hurting he tin give the sack inflict upon him as well as exactly how slow it would live to pause Smith's backbone). O'Brien starting fourth dimension inflicts a sure amount of non quite intolerable hurting on Winston Smith. Then he holds upward the 4 fingers of his left hand, as well as says, "How many fingers am I holding up? Winston knows that the required reply is five. That's the Party answer. But Winston can't say anything else but four. So O'Brien moves the lever again, as well as inflicts notwithstanding to a greater extent than agonizing hurting upon him, as well as says, "Think again. How many fingers am I holding up?" Winston Smith says, "Four. Four. Four fingers." Well, he finally capitulates, equally you lot know, but non until he has seat upward a magnificent battle.

None of us is yet on the torture rack; nosotros are non yet inwards jail; we're getting diverse harassments as well as annoyances, but what nosotros mainly adventure is but our popularity, the danger that nosotros volition live called nasty names. So, earlier nosotros are inwards the seat of Winston Smith, nosotros tin give the sack sure receive got plenty courage to travel along proverb that ii addition ii equals four.

This is the duty that is set upon us. We receive got a duty to speak fifty-fifty to a greater extent than clearly as well as courageously, to function harder, as well as to travel along fighting this battle piece the force is notwithstanding inwards us. But I can't do improve than to read the words of the keen economist, the keen thinker, the keen writer, who honors me to a greater extent than than I tin give the sack say past times his presence hither tonight, Ludwig von Mises. This is what he wrote inwards the lastly paragraph of his keen mass on socialism forty years ago:

Everyone carries a purpose of social club on his shoulders; no 1 is relieved of his part of responsibleness past times others. And no 1 tin give the sack notice a rubber way out for himself if social club is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore, everyone, inwards his ain interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None tin give the sack stand upward aside amongst unconcern; the interests of everyone hang on the result. Whether he chooses or not, every homo is drawn into the keen historical struggle, the decisive battle into which our epoch has plunged us.

Those words — uncannily prophetic words — were written inwards the early on 1920s. Well, I haven't whatsoever novel message, whatsoever improve message than that.

Even those of us who receive got reached as well as passed our 70th birthdays cannot afford to residuum on our oars as well as pass the residuum of our lives dozing inwards the Florida sun. The times telephone telephone for courage. The times telephone telephone for difficult work. But if the demands are high, it is because the stakes are fifty-fifty higher. They are null less than the futurity of human liberty, which way the futurity of civilization.

[On Nov 29, 1964, Henry Hazlitt was honored at a 70th birthday celebration at the New York University Club inwards New York City. His remarks on that occasion,were originally reproduced at Mises.org, were published inwards the posthumous 1993 collection of essays, The Wisdom of Henry Hazlitt.]

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